China urges Australians to grasp 'real picture' of Hong Kong, tells government to back off

China's ambassador to Australia has warned the Morrison government not to interfere in its affairs by supporting the "violent radicals" in Hong Kong, as diplomatic tensions escalate across the region.

Ambassador Cheng Jingye told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the affairs of Hong Kong were "solely the internal affairs of China", warning that any effort to "mess up" the former British outpost was doomed to fail as pro-democracy protesters there again gathered en masse on Sunday.

Those concerns have been elevated by several Liberal backbenchers, including Andrew Hastie, Amanda Stoker, Dave Sharma, Tim Wilson and James Paterson, who have argued that Australia has failed to respond effectively to the growing influence of China.

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Labor's foreign affairs spokeswoman, Penny Wong, has written to Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, asking her to establish a specialised bipartisan intelligence briefing for all MPs on Australia's relationship with China to avoid further antagonising the relationship.

In his first public comments about Australia's response to the three-month long protests, Mr Cheng said the demonstrations in Hong Kong had turned into "radical, violent and illegal behaviours", with "certain radicals" aimed at undermining China's "one country, two systems" approach.

"No responsible government would sit idly by," he said.

Chinese ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Cheng's remarks are the latest in a series by China's ambassadors abroad and follow warnings by the country's top diplomats in Britain and Canada that local authorities should not get involved in China's domestic affairs. The Chinese government has been ramping up its information campaign in an effort to swing the public relations battle away from the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.

The ambassador said China's determination to safeguard "one country, two systems" was unwavering and this should be recognised by countries expressing their opinion about the events in Hong Kong.

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A huge crowd gathered at Hong Kong's Victoria Park at 3pm on Sunday, Hong Kong time, with trains packed with residents clad in black, the colour of the democracy protesters.

Jackie, in her 50s, said she came because it may be the last chance to protest. "Our freedom of expression is threatened. This time it is already illegal. But if we don't come out today who knows what will happen. We still have to fight for Hong Kong."

Another protester, Lam, 40, said the government wasn't listening to the people. "I am also against violence, but the chief executive Carrie Lam isn't doing her job," he said. "We have to make sure the government listens to the population."

The call had gone out for a peaceful show of support for the protest movement after violent scenes at the international airport on Tuesday.

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But police refused to allow a march through the city on Sunday. The huge numbers gathering had already overfilled Victoria Park by 3pm. Beijing has threatened it is prepared to send in People's Armed Police from the mainland if violence escalates.

The protests that have swept through the city began in June over a law that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be detained and extradited to China. The extradition bill has been suspended by Ms Lam but not withdrawn. She has rejected protesters' calls for her to resign.

Mr Cheng said protesters had "grossly trampled on the rule of law and social order in Hong Kong" and "severely jeopardised Hong Kong's prosperity and stability".

"Foreign governments and entities should strictly abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, not support violent radicals, not interfere in Hong Kong's affairs and China's internal affairs in whatever form," Mr Cheng said.

"Any attempt to mess up Hong Kong is doomed to fail. A prosperous and stable Hong Kong serves the interests of international community including Australia.

"We sincerely hope that people from all walks of life in Australia will see the real picture of situation in Hong Kong, act in the interests of Hong Kong's prosperity, stability and rule of law."

Senator Wong said the government should continue to assert "Australia's interests and Australian values".

"What happens in Hong Kong matters to us, it matters to the world," she said. "We urge the authorities to exercise maximum restraint."

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Senator Wong said "backbenchers out there making a whole range of comments" could further undermine the relationship.

In August, Mr Hastie, the head of Parliament's intelligence committee, compared the world's approach to containing China to the "catastrophic failure" to prevent the rise of Nazi Germany.

"I think we are at a point where the relationship is more complex and more consequential, it matters to us," Senator Wong told Insiders. "We should have a sensible and mature discussion about how we make it work for us."

The Morrison government has also come under pressure over its handling of the Pacific Island Forum, where it sought to eliminate a clause that would commit Australia to phasing out the use of coal to combat climate change.

China latched onto the dispute and said it understood the "legitimate demands" of the small island states threatened by climate change, while calling for developed nations to "earnestly carry out their obligations".

Senator Wong said Labor would also have declined to commit to phasing out coal.

"Coal remains an important industry for Australia," she said.

But she chastised the government for presiding over "a reduction of Australia's influence in the Pacific" and "damaging our relationships".

"China will do what China will do," she said. "China will seek to continue to expand its interests in the region. We have to recognise that the Pacific Island nations can choose who they choose to work with.